Moistener for cigars and tobacco



Jan. 22, 1924. 1,481,325 H. LE ems MOISTENER FOR CIGARS AND TOBACCO Filed Jan. 22, 1923 lllllmmh gwuemtoz Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES HORACE LE GRIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOISTENER FOR CIGARS AND TOBACCO.

Applicationfiled January 22, 1923. Serial No. 614,157.

To. all: whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE LE Gris, a subject, of'the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of the. city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new; and useful Improvementsin Moisteners for Cigars and Tobacco, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in devices for keeping cigars and tobacco moist. The object of the invention is to provide a very simple article which may be placed in any form, of cigar'box,

humidor, tobacco box or other form of container and which will be! adapted to retain itself in position therein notwithstanding variations in the sizes of the various containers. The present, devlce is therefore of universal application; It comprises in part a casing or shell formed of telescoping sections which are forced in opposite directions by a spring so that the sections will press against the-sides or wall. of the container and hold themselves in place. In

. the container there is an absorbent material for retaining-the moisture an dxfor giving ofi the moisture by evaporation. Other features will be apparent from the following detailed description.

In the drawing forming part of this application,

Figure 1 is an elevation of my device with parts broken away to show the interior construction,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3, is a perspective view showing the use of the device in an ordinary cigar box, and

Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating one way of using the device in a can or cylindrical cigar container and Figure 5 is an end elevation of the frictional spring plug.

The device comprises in part a casing 1 composed of an imperforate cylinder 2 having a fiat end 3 on which the article may stand. The other section 4 of the casing is also tubular and is of such diameter that it may slide freely within the bore of the section 2. This member 4 has a slot or opening 5 along one side and within this member there is a cylindrical shell 6 which moves with the member 4 as if it were part of it. This cylindrical member 6 has perforations 7 distributed at intervals over its surface and within this member there is held: a body of absorbent material 8 such as asbestos, cotton, or any other material which will hold moisture and which will give it off by evaporation.

There is a cap 9 fitting over and closing one end of the member 4 to retain the absorbent material and to prevent excessive discharge of liquid.

Within the member 2 and between the end 3 ofthis member 2and the end'of the member 4there is av coiled spring 10. One end of this spring is secured to the end of the member 4 whereas the other end is secured to a plug 11- which is forced into the member 2 and is held there by friction. This plug 11 has a slot. 12 to make it resilient circumferentially. The original diameter of this member 11 is preferably slightly larger; than the bore of the tubular member 2' so that the former must be slightly. compressed to ,insert it into the tubular member 2. Therefore, when this plug 11 has been inserted into the tubular member 2 it will expand and frictionally hold therein.

When. the device is free or unconfined themembers 4 and. 6 will project beyond the tubular member 2 a maximum distance permitted by the spring 10 and the device will then be of maximum length. If the device is to be placed in a cigar box 13 like that shown in Figure 3, the absorbent material 8 is first moistened either by dipping the whole device into Water or by allowing water to fall onto the absorbent material. A cigar is then removed from the box 13 to make room for the moistener as shown in Figure 3, if the box happens to be full. The moistening device is then pressed at opposite ends so that the members 4 and 6 telescope within the tubular member 2 until the total length of the device is less than the width of the cigar box. The device is then inserted into the space previously occupied by the cigar which was removed and the device is then released. The spring 10 exerts outward pressure on the members 2 and 4 and this forces the end of the member 2 against one wall 14 of the box and it forces the end of the cap 9 against the opposite wall 15 of the box so that the device is then frictionally held in place within the box and the cover of the box may be completely closed so that the gradual evaporation of the liquid in the absorbent material 8 may be given ofl 1 for boXes containing tobacco;

of the can 16 in which the cigars are packed and make the air within the box moist, in order to keep the cigars in proper condition. If the device is placed in the box with the open side 5 of the member a up then if there is any free liquid in the device it can not leak out and strike the cigars. As cigars are taken from the box from time to time the moistener will be self retained between the walls of the box and it therefore can not injure the cigars nor discharge any excess or free liquid upon them. lVhen all the cigars have been used up the device will simply be transferred to another box, if the box is merely an ordinary cigar box or container, but if it is a permanent humidor then-the mo-istening device may be retained therein.

In Figure 4 I have shown the device used in a can in which the cigars are stacked on end. Generally, in such containers there is a small space between the tops of the cigars and the cover where the moistener may be placed. I have shown the moistener placed across the top of the can 16 with the ends pressed against the wall at opposite points. In thi case, also, the device is held frictionally in place by reason of the outward pressure exerted by the spring 10 on the members 2 and 4.

In either case cigars may be removed whenever desired without disturbing the moistener.

It will be obvious that the device may be used in the same manner as described above In the case vertically, a cigar may be removed and the moistener may be placed in the space left by the cigar removed, in which case the moistener will rest on the flat end 3 until the cover is applied to the can and then the cover will press down on the cap 9 and the moistener will be frictionally held in place between the cover and the bottom of the can. In this case, if there is any free liquid in the device; that is, if there is more than the material 8 can absorb, the free liquid will simply remain in the tubular member 2 until evaporation takes place and the free liquid is absorbed by the material 8.

The present device is therefore adapted for universal application to various forms and sizes of containers and it is frictionally and self held in place.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:-

A moistener for the purpose set forth comprising a holder having a body composed of a tubular member having a closed end and anopen end, a tubular member having a longitudinal slot and sliding with in said first member, a perforated member within said slotted member, a body of absorbent material Within said perforated member, and a spring in'said body acting to force said first and said second members apart whereby said moistener may be caused 

